Alternative Health Blog

In a prospective, population-based study involving 714 community-dwelling women between the ages of 70 and 79 years, low vitamin D status was found to be associated with an increased risk of mortality. During a median follow up of 72 months, during which time 14% (n=100) of the women died, women in the lowest quartile of 25(OH)D (<15.3 ng/mL) were found to have the highest risk of mortality (HR=2.45), as compared to women in the highest quartile (>27.0 ng/mL). These results suggest that older women with low vitamin D status have an increased risk of death. Additional research is needed to assess the effects of supplementation with vitamin D on mortality in this population
 
Reference:
“Low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations are associated with greater all-cause mortality in older community-dwelling women,” Semba RD, Houston DK, et al, Nutr Metab, 2009; 29(8): 525-530. (Address: Department of Ophthalmology and the Department of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, MD 21287, USA).